


Fruit Basket

by iceinmyveins



Series: Where do we send the fruit basket? [1]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-26 02:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6220744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iceinmyveins/pseuds/iceinmyveins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I don’t know if the reason for her happiness is a girl, but if it is, we need to send her a fruit basket for helping us get our Tobin back."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fruit Basket

**Author's Note:**

> Just some fun for all the Preath trash out there. There's not a lot of Preath fanfic so I thought I'd contribute. Enjoy!

The first time Tobin asks for a plane ticket to Los Angeles when Heif asks the team where they’re going at the end of camp, no one thinks anything of it. Sure it’s odd because she doesn’t have much of a connection to the large city, but Tobin doesn’t have much of a connection anywhere, so it’s not given a second thought. L.A.’s such a big hub that Tobin is sure to have one or two friends willing to lend her a couch or spot on the floor. Besides, Tobin was a California girl born in the wrong state.

The second time she asks for a ticket to the City of Angeles is odd because it’s at the end of the very next camp. Even Heif is surprised because Tobin never really goes back to the same place she came from. She’s only done that once or twice and that was just because she was obligated to for the NWSL season. Some of the girls are confused and mildly shocked, but let it go.

The third time is the third camp in a row and now everyone is curious. So when Tobin decides to stay behind after practice to get some more time with the ball, the girls can’t help but discuss it.

“Okay, is anyone else feeling like the world might be ending? Tobin’s gone to L.A. after the past three camps. She’s never even gone home to see her family after three straight camps! What the hell is going on?” Meghan Klingenberg is the one to finally bring up the topic.

“Yeah, I mean it is L.A. so she probably has a lot of friends there, but it’s still weird. I know there’s a lot of business and stuff there, but going back that many times is so un-Tobin-like,” Alex agrees.

“I went to Manhattan Beach and I didn’t see her at all. I was hanging out with some of our friends from when we lived there and none of them mentioned hanging out with her either, so I don’t know who she stayed with,” Kelley adds.

“Not with me,” Whitney quips.

Now they’re all confused. Who else does Tobin know in California? And why does she keep going back.

“Okay, then maybe she has a friend we don’t know about, maybe some family friends,” Ashlyn suggests and that gets them all thinking. It’s plausible and that’s the best thing any of them can think of at the moment.

“Yeah, that’s probably it. She was probably busy catching up and didn’t have time to see our friends in MB,” Kelley nods her head.

“That still doesn’t explain why she’s gone back three times. There must be someone pretty special there if Tobin doesn’t want to go anywhere else,” Moe interjects.

“I mean she’s single, or she was, so maybe she met a girl and is shacking up with her.”

Christen nearly chokes as she tries to hide her laughter. She’s stayed out of the conversation and has to keep her head down so none of the girls can see her face, which is red from trying to hold in her laughter. She's mildly shaking as she tries to avoid attracting the attention of her teammates. Christen can’t believe none of the girls thought to ask her if Tobin was staying at the Press household, but she assumes it’s because none of them think her and Tobin are close enough for that.

She’s honestly shocked nobody has made the connection by now. She and Tobin weren’t broadcasting their relationship, but they weren’t exactly hiding it either. If the girls had really paid any attention at all, they’d see the lingering touches, the staring, and the blatant flirting going on between the two.

“Honestly, I don’t think it could be anything else. She was a little down after the Shirley ordeal, but she’s been a lot better lately. I don’t know if the reason for her happiness is a girl, but if it is, we need to send her a fruit basket for helping us get our Tobin back,” Alex jokes.

The team agrees. Tobin’s been visibly more confident on and off the field lately and just happier overall. Her trademark smile just a tad bigger and more genuine that a few months ago and her infectious laugh even heartier. Although the midfielder’s teammates want to know what’s going on, they’re also happy for their friend’s recent joy.

“Seriously, that's a good idea! Hey Presi, do you still have the number of the place from when we got the fruit basket for Pinoe?” Kelley asks the striker, shifting the attention to her.

Christen tries to compose herself enough to give an answer, but can't, so she just nods, not trusting herself to say anything without laughing at the situation. She knows that if she opens her mouth she wouldn’t be able to get anything out without breaking into giggles at the irony of the situation. For a second she thinks she’s composed herself enough to tell them the address of her parent’s house so they can send her a fruit basket, but it passes quickly. She kind of wants to know what their reaction to finding out she’s the reason Tobin has suddenly found a home of sorts in Los Angeles, but stood herself because she thinks that they both should be there when the team finds out.

“Perfect! As soon as we find out who the mystery woman is that’s got Tobin like a love sick puppy, we’re gonna need that number,” Kelley exclaims.

Christen thinks it’s comical how oblivious and unobservant her teammates are, but still remains silent. She looks around the room at each one, shaking her head.

When the door opens and Tobin walks in, the team quickly changes the topic of conversation from Tobin’s travel habits and possible new love life. Everyone breaks into their own groups with different conversations as Tobin slides into the seat next to Christen and flashes her signature smile, which Christen returns with her own blinding one. Tobin discreetly slides her hand onto Christen’s thigh and gives her a light squeeze under the cover of the dinner table and Christen has to try to hide her smirk as she thinks of what the team was talking about only minutes earlier.

Tobin raises an eyebrow at her girlfriend, but only receives a laugh and a “Tell you later.” It piques her interest because she feels like she’s missing out on some great joke, but she lets it go for the time being. She wants to get the brunette alone to ask her, but she knows she can’t just yet.

As they sit around and talk, Tobin doesn’t fail to notice the looks she’s getting from her teammates. They stare at her like they’re trying to uncover some mystery and to say she’s confused is an understatement. It’s also slightly unnerving because some of them, mostly Kelley, are giving her creepy knowing smiles and she has no idea why. She almost asks what’s wrong with them when Kelley gives her a poorly executed wink that makes her feel uncomfortable for all the wrong reasons, but thinks better of it. Sometimes it’s best to not ask.

When Tobin gets up to get some water, Kelley corners her at the table where all the food and drinks are laid out. Tobin feels like she should have expected it, but isn't quite sure why. She's trying to remember if she's done anything that's promoted Kelley to act stranger than she usually is, but is unable to think of anything.

“Hey, Kell. What’s up?” Tobin asks slowly, trying to figure out what her friend is up to.

“Who is she?” Kelley is straight to the point because she wants answers.

Tobin furrows her brows in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

“Who’s the girl that has the great Tobin Heath running back to L.A. over and over? She must be great in bed if you keep going back.”

Tobin is speechless at how blunt Kelley is being and sputters as she tries to come up with an answer. “I don’t...I’m not….what?” She’s honestly not sure what to say. It’s not like she’s ashamed of her relationship with Christen, but she’s not sure that she should say anything. Both of them had agreed to just be normal around their teammates. They didn’t want to put too much attention and pressure on a relationship that was so new. Neither minded if their teammates knew, but they weren’t going to say anything about it either.

“C’mon Tobin, we’re all happy for you! We just wanna know who is making you start to settle down! We want to send her a fruit basket,” Kelley tells her and Tobin suddenly realizes that the rest of the girls are watching them.

“Yeah, Christen knows someone, remember from when we sent one to Pinoe?” Alex adds.

Tobin gets why Christen was smirking earlier now and she loses it. Her explosion of laughter startles her teammates and it only get’s louder when she makes eye contact with Christen who is trying not to laugh.

“Why are you laughing? It’s a good idea! I mean this girl’s gotten you out of your funk and we appreciate it because you’re assisting and scoring all over the place!” Kelley defends herself because she thinks Tobin’s laughter means she thinks the idea is stupid.

“Ha,” Tobin tries to catch her breath, “I’m not making fun of the idea, Kell. It’s just...you guys are so…”

“Supportive? Thoughtful? Loving? Caring? Awesome? The best people ever?” the shorter woman guesses.

“...slow,” Tobin finishes. “Slow. Seriously, you guys are so slow.”

Before any of her teammates can refute or question her statement, she’s walking out the door, still slightly laughing. It’s her turn to be in disbelief. Now she doesn’t want to tell any of them about her relationship with Christen just to see how long it takes before they even get suspicious that the woman Tobin’s ‘shackin up with’ is on the team.

Tobin heads up to her room and waits for her roommate to join her. While she sits on her bed, she’s still smiling at her ridiculous and dumb teammates. When she hears the door open, her smile doubles as she waits for the person to come into view. The sight of her girlfriend with a matching grin opens the floodgates of laughter once again and Christen joins her. It continues as Christen climbs onto the bed with her and buries her head in Tobin’s shoulder to try and stop laughing. Since no one knows they are together, the “No rooming with your significant other” rule doesn’t apply to them.

“I can’t believe they still haven’t caught on. Do you know they asked me to try and pry it out of you? I love them, but babe they aren’t the brightest people in the world,” Christen says once her chuckles have lessened.

“Honestly, I kind of just want to mess with them. Let’s see how long it takes for them to figure it out,” Tobin suggests with a devious glint in her eye.

Christen bites her lip and then smirks, “Oh, this should be fun. How long do you think it will take? Based on how things have been going I’d say at least 2 more months before they start getting suspicious.”

“Honestly, it depends. Kelley’s gonna start watching me like a hawk, but she probably won’t realize it’s you for a while, so I’d say 2 months is a good guess.”

“I honestly can’t believe none of them have even suspected anything. I mean we aren’t exactly subtle about our flirting.”

“Yeah, you’d think one of them would’ve noticed and said something by now, but I guess everyone thinks you’re straighter than Alex.”

Christen laughs and slaps Tobin lightly on the arm, “You’re so stupid.”

“Babe, you know it’s probably true,” Tobin tells her with a smile.

“But it’s okay because we both know that it’s completely false.”

“Mhmm,” Christen hums as she leans into place a kiss on Tobin’s ever-chapped lips. It’s short, soft, and sweet.

“I love you,” Christen sighs contentedly as they pull away.

“Love you, too,” Tobin replies as she gives the younger girl another peck on the lips.

It’s strange how they got here, but neither would trade it for anything. There’s been a noticeable difference in both of them since their relationship started and their connection has only grown. Being allowed to act on their attraction has only made the pair grow closer. Sure, they loved each other as friends before, but the past couple of months has only increased their love for each other. Their relationship is happy, easy, and refreshing. Neither expected what they found, but they’re happy about it nonetheless.

-

This time when camp is over, Tobin asks for a ticket to Portland and the team feels like order is restored. Christen’s the last one to ask for a ticket and no one sticks around to hear where she’s going because everyone assumes it’s back to L.A. to see her dogs. So in the morning, when everyone’s packed and ready to go to the airport and go their separate ways, everything seems normal.

Since there’s no direct flights to Portland, Tobin and Christen have a layover in Seattle. The two are able to sneak off towards their gate without any of the girls noticing them. Once they board, they settle into their seats and Christen rests her head on Tobin’s shoulder. Airplanes always make her sleepy and she’s hoping to get a few hours of shut eye in on the flight. Tobin gives her a quick kiss on her head and lets her girlfriend doze off. After a while Tobin gets bored and figures she should try and sleep as well. She leans her head on top of Christen’s and is soon out like a light.

-

At the next camp, the rest of the team isn’t really surprised that Tobin flew in from L.A. again instead of Portland. They even tease her about her “mystery lover” and how Tobin “just can't get enough” because she's “whipped” and “in love,” which amuses both Tobin and Christen to no end. Having their relationship to themselves is nice because no one can interfere and they love that they are getting away with it. It’s exhilarating sneaking around in camp, but both are still waiting for their teammates to get a clue.

It starts to get old after another two camps and the team is still as ignorant to their relationship as ever. Tobin and Christen are starting to question whether or not their friends are just waiting for them to say something or are really that unaware of what’s going on between the pair. Keeping their hands and lips off each other is getting harder and harder each camp and both girls are running out of will power.

So one night when they’re getting ready for dinner with the team downstairs, Christen brings up the issue both of them are sick of.

“Toby, don’t you think it’s getting sad that they still haven’t figured it out yet?” Christen asks her girlfriend as she sits crisscrossed on the bed.

Tobin’s digging through her suitcase for her snapback, “Yeah, honestly I thought they’d have figured it out by now. It’s kind of disappointing.”

“You think we should tell them?”

“Probably, this hiding thing is getting kind of old. I wanna be able to touch and kiss you in front of the team. Next time they bring up my ‘lover’ we’ll tell them, okay?” Tobin’s moved in front of her girlfriend, kneeling down so they’re eye to eye.

“Okay,” Christen smiles and Tobin leans in to give her a kiss. It starts slow, but there’s a comfortable rhythm that increases as it goes on. Tobin’s lips are rough against Christen’s but Tobin slides her tongue along them to soothe them. Christen can’t help but smile, which causes Tobin to reciprocate the action and soon they’re smiling more than kissing. Neither of them care, it’s how they are. It kind of just happens when two of the most smiley people in the world start dating.

So that night at dinner, they sit at a table with Hope, Carli, Becky, Sam, and Steph. They’re having a conversation about what movie they should watch for team movie night and Christen is half participating while scarfing down her dinner. She’s kind of out of it, so when Hope, who’s sitting next to her, casually asks her how Portland was, she almost chokes on her pasta.

“What?” Christen asks dumbly.

“How was Portland? How long did you stay with Tobin for before you both went back to L.A.?” Hope prompts.

“Um...I-I. Well uh,” Christen is a stuttering mess and has no idea how to answer the questions. So she finally settles for, “How did you even know I went to Portland?”

“I was on the flight to Seattle, I saw you and Tobin looking a little too cozy to be just teammates,” Hope reveals. Tobin had turned her attention to the conversation just as Hope had revealed the information she knew.

“Wait, you’ve known since then? It’s been like 2 months! Why haven’t you said anything?” Tobin questions with a tilt of her head.

Hope shrugs, “I figured, you’d want to tell everyone. I wasn’t going to tell anyone about your business.”

“Oh. Thanks,” Christen says, unsure how to feel. She's slightly disappointed that Hope didn't let the cat out of the bag to the team, but she also appreciates the veteran’s respect for their privacy.

“We were kinda just waiting for everyone else to figure it out. We wanted to see how long it took,” Tobin tells her. “So you knew all this time? And you didn’t tell Kelley?”

Kelley happened to be walking over to refill her plate at that moment and upon hearing her name stopped and said, “Tell Kelley what? Hope what are you hiding? Tell me!”

Hope looked at Christen and Tobin, who both gave her a nod of approval. “I have the address that we need to send the fruit basket to.”

“YOU KNOW?” She turned to Tobin, “SHE KNOWS BEFORE I KNOW WHO YOU’RE SLEEPING WITH?” Kelley’s shrieking and all three women wince at the pitch of the defender. It draws the attention of everyone else in the room, so now the entire team is watching curiously.

“Woah, Kelley, calm down. I only know because I saw them on a plane,” Hope tells the upset girl, trying to calm her down.

“Well, who is it? Do I know her?” Kelley interrogates, wanting answers.

“Who are we sending the fruit basket to?” Alex questions from the next table over. The rest of girls murmur in agreement, also wanting to know.

Hope looks at Tobin, telling her she should tell them. Everyone’s attention shifts to Tobin, who’s uncomfortable with all the focus even if it is from her teammates and close friends.

“Me.”

Twenty two heads whip in Christen’s direction and her cheeks are flaming as they all stare at her in shock. It’s dead silent in the dining room as they all soak in the new information.

“OH MY GOD!” Kelley is the first to break the silence. “How did we miss this?! How did I not see this?"

“We’ve been wondering the same thing for months,” Tobin tells her dryly. “I told you, you guys are slow. We haven’t even been hiding it, especially lately. We literally flirted right in front of you the other day and you didn’t even notice.”

“But, I mean, what? You and Christen? Two of my best friends? Why didn’t you tell us...why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were close!” Kelley’s voice is shocked, but there’s a bit of hurt laced underneath her words.

Both the girls feel bad, but Tobin finally speaks, “Honestly, we kind of just wanted to go with the flow in the beginning. We didn’t want everyone to know because we didn’t exactly know where this was going and whether or not it was going to work out. But then when I went back to L.A. for the third time and you guys still didn’t figure it out, we thought it was funny, so we decided that we’d see how long it took for anyone to notice. We didn’t think it’d take this long though. Even if Hope hadn’t have brought it up, we were gonna tell you all tonight anyway.”

Kelley is visibly less offended once Tobin has finished explaining why they didn’t tell her, “Oh. I guess I respect that. I can’t believe I didn’t see anything! Wait how did none of us ask Christen when we were talking about it that one time?”

“Holy shit! We even asked Christen for the number to send a fruit basket to herself,” Meghan laughs at the irony. “That’s why Tobin was hysterically laughing when you mentioned the fruit basket! Damn, are we that blind?”

“Apparently,” Christen shrugs. “This last month I think we’ve been pretty open about it. I’m pretty sure we held hands a couple times and no one mentioned it.”

The group is silent for a few minutes, just processing the new development and thinking back to the past few months to try and remember all the tell-tale signs they missed. Every so often, one would make a remark as she recalled moments she witnessed between the couple that should have been painstakingly obvious signs of a relationship.

“I can’t believe this,” Alex says, breaking the silence and looking at Christen, “I thought you were straight, Presi.”

Tobin starts laughing and turns to her girlfriend, “See! I told you!”

Christen rolls her eyes, but can’t help the smile forming on her face. She leans into Tobin as she feels the midfielder wrap an arm around her and place a kiss on her temple. It’s nice to be able to show affection toward each other now that the team knows.

“Aww, you guys are cute!” JJ squeals and the sentiment is echoed throughout the room by all of their teammates.

Both of them are slightly red from blushing, but neither particularly care at the moment. They’re finally able to act like a couple in front of their friends. No more hiding and waiting for them to find out. It’s all in the open and both of them are relieved. They can finally just enjoy their relationship and share it with the people they love.

“So, what kind of fruit basket do you want, Presi?”


End file.
